If You've Heard This One Before
by Nobodies Have Hearts
Summary: ...don't stop me because I'd like to hear it again. A series of stories about Skull based on quotes or music. Rating may go up later. Ch.10 up.
1. What Happened Last Night?

**Written for my own amusement and to express things that I can put nowhere else. **

**This is going to be a series of stories with no relation to each other. They'll be based of quotes or song lyrics. If you put a quote in a PM or review, I might use it later on. I don't know yet.**

**Summary: The reason why Skull shouldn't be allowed to drink and why Luce is scary when pregnant. It's all Colonnello's fault.**

**Warning: Slight Colonnello bashing, but only by Mamabear!Luce. I do love him.**

**Recommended song: Sunday Morning After by Amanda Marshall**

**Quote: "What happened last night?" – The Hangover**

**/**

"Where is he?" Luce passed nervously across the kitchen, one hand gently rubbing her swollen stomach as she walked. Worry lines creased her face. Colonnello rolled his eyes from where he sat perched on the counter.

"Don't worry so much. He probably just fell asleep somewhere. He'll be fine." He told her. Those words hadn't even been out for a whole second before Luce swirled to face him, fire practically shooting out of her mouth. Despite his status, the blonde shrunk back a little. Luce was a scary mama bear when pregnant.

"Fine? _Fine? _Don't tell me that he's probably fine! _You're_ the reason he's gone in the first place! What were you even thinking when, - Oh, that's right. _You weren't!" _She hissed, completely unlike her usually self. Colonnello averted his eyes.

"Luce, I really do believe you should calm down. Getting angry will do nothing to help our situation." Fon said, wisely keeping a large distance between himself and Luce. "We do not even know if he is hurt." He carefully side stepped the plate thrown at his head.

"Don't tell me to be calm! I-" A catchy jingle cut her off, chiming bells seeming out of place for the tense atmosphere. Luce immediately got out her phone, staring at the screen. _Skull_ it read in pixilated text. Both Colonnello and Fon kept quiet. Luce quickly tapped the answer button, then speaker.

"Where are you?" She asked, not bothering for a greeting.

"_Uh, hang on," _Skull's voice echoed from the phone. There was a mumbled conversation before he came back_. "About five miles outside of Tokyo."_

Colonnello perked up.

"That's an hour away from where we were. How did you even get that far without a car?"

Skull's voice held a new tone of anger at the gunman's voice.

"_Is that Colonnello-sempai? I really hate you right now, just so you know. This is all your fault. Last time I let you take me anywhere."_

Luce sighted.

"Skull, honey, just tell us where you are _specifically_ so we can get you and have you tell us where you ran off too last night."

There was a small silence on the other end of the line. No one spoke for a moment.

"Skull?"

"_About that…I don't really know." _There was another pause._ "Well, no, I'm aware of where I am __**now**__ but…"_

"What are you getting at here? That you didn't know where you were last night?" Luce's brows furrowed again, worry etched on her face once more.

"_Pretty much. I had kind of been hoping you could fill me in on that."_

Colonnello shrugged from atop the counter.

"At least we know he had a great time." He said. Fon glanced over to him.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Colonnello looked at Fon as if he were stupid.

"Because," he said. "Everyone knows whenever you have a good time drinking, you never remember it. I can tell you _so_ many amazing things I've been told I did I don't remember doing." The blonde gave a sharp laugh. Luce glared at him, effectively keeping him quiet.

"Do you have even the slightest idea where you were?" She asked. "Do you have any receipts or a hospital wrist band?

"_No hospital band, but I can tell you what's on me now__**. **__The first thing I did when I woke up was check my pockets. And see why my shoulder was hurting."_

"Why would your shoulder be in pain? Did your injure it?" Luce asked, worry laced with her voice. She started at the phone as if it would magically give her the answer.

"_Sort of," _Skull sounded as if he didn't really want to speak. _"I can officially say I've gotten my first tattoo now."_

"**Tattoo**?" Luce sounded scandalized. Fon put a hand on her shoulder, but it was smacked away.

"_Yeah, well, I'm sort of glad I don't remember getting it. Anyway, we can talk about this later." _He hastily spoke, not so subtly changing the subject.

"No, I think we should talk about this now." Colonnello piped up unexpectedly. "I would _love _to hear about what sort of tattoo you got. Come on, tell us." He sniggered.

"_Shut up. I'm not in the mood to put up with you right now, sempai. My head is killing me. I really just want this as quick as possible."_

"Go on," Fon urged.

"_Let me think for a second. Um, I was missing my shirt for one thing-"_

"Did you wake up alone this morning?" Luce cut him off. The other two occupants of the room sputtered in response, as did Skull.

"_Yes. No! Sort of. I mean, w-we weren't in the same bed or anything. A-and we had clothes. But we were in the same room… apartment...place. He…He's helping me, okay? Ugh. This isn't working out so well…" _

An awkward silence filled the room as both Fon and Colonnello stared in shock and horror at Luce.

A beat passed.

"_Let's…let's move on already." _

"Yes, let's." Fon agreed slowly, coming out of his shock. He gave Luce a weird look, something she easily ignored.

"_So, um, no shirt. I had about six different phone numbers in my pocket but…"_

"I do believe that would make you what children call now a days, how you say, a player." Fon said, voice deadpan and face completely blank.

Colonnello looked like he was holding in laughter at Luce's horrified face.

"_No! I-It's not like that. It was all guys' numbers!" _There was another pause. _"Wait, that didn't come out right."_

Colonnello had fallen off the counter at this point, face red with laughter. He rolled around on the floor clutching his stomach. Tears were streaming down his face.

"I…I can't _breathe!_" He howled.

Luce seemed just about ready to have a heart attack at this point. Fon stared at the wall, mind unable to comprehend everything at once.

"_**A**_**nyway**_**!**__" _Skull's voice screamed from the phone over Colonnello laughter. He sounded mortified. _"I have a bunch of keys, but I don't know what they go to. Oh, yeah, I also had a bottle of syrup for some reason. I don't know why, but I used it on this western food called pancakes for breakfast."_

"Was it good?" Colonnello asked between chuckles, curiosity getting the better of him. His laughter had died down slightly, but he still was on the floor.

"_It was delicious actually."_

"Get back on subject." Luce commanded, face stained with an angry blush. It seemed like she had trouble speaking. "And, Colonnello, if you speak again I will stab you in the face with a fork." She fingered the silverware drawer. Colonnello wisely kept his mouth shut.

"_Sorry. I called some people that might've seen me last night before I called you 'cause I actually wanted to know where I had been. And I knew Colonnello-sempai probably wouldn't tell me."_

Fon shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

"What person would you know that would've seen you that late at nights?" He asked slowly."No one besides Colonnello was with you and he lost you a few hours in. Not that he was doing much looking." Colonnello averted his eyes.

"_Look, I know a lot of people, okay? They work all over, mostly in the underground, so they'd be out at night anyway. But that's beside the point. I was still at the bar at eleven o'clock, so I was with Colonnello for at least half the night. Unfortunately, I wasn't seen again until about five in the morning where I met…someone who let me pass out at their house and made sure I wasn't mugged or anything. But that still leave a really big gap." _He trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Do you remember anything at all? Even something really small, like a clock or sign?" Fon questioned.

"_Not really. The last thing I remember is thinking that it was really boring and I needed to have some fun. Really vague, I know."_

Luce collapsed onto a chair, rubbing her face tired manner. She shook her head.

"You know what? I really can't do this right now. We can talk about this when you get home." She sighed. "Just text us your address and we'll pick you up, okay?"

"_M'kay."_

"And Skull?"

"_Yes?" _

"Please,_ please _don't move from where you are. I can't handle you disappearing right now. And you're never allowed to go anywhere with Colonnello again. Or drink."

"_Don't worry. I'm not planning on it. Later."_

**Click.**

"Come on, Fon." She muttered, standing up wobbly. "I'll drive first." Fon nodded in agreement.

"What about me?" Colonnello asked, sitting up straighter.

"What **about** you?" Luce snarled at him. Colonnello took a few steps back before he could stop himself, raising his hands in defense. Hell hath no fury like a bear whose cub was hurt.

"Let's go," She told Fon, more calm now. "We've got a long drive ahead of us."

"We certainly do."

/

"Oh my God! Guys come here! Look what I found on E-bay!"

"Is…Is that my shirt?"

"Yes. You wanna buy it? One of your earrings is here too."

"No, I really don't want it back. I have no idea where that's been."

"How did they even…"

"Now I _really_ want to know what happened."

"Honestly, I think it's better that we don't."

/

**You can really tell where I only half attempted. Oh well. Whatever.**


	2. Innocence Trapped Inside The Brain

**Feel free to supply a quote in your review, but I make no promises.**

**Summary: A peek into the past leaves everyone with a sense of 'things better left unsaid.' Except Skull, of course.**

**Quote: **

Sometimes the curiosity,

Can take the soul but leave the pain

And every ounce of innocence

Is left inside the brain.

And through the looking glass

She is painfully returned

And now off with her head

I fear is everyone's concern. – Her name is Alice, Shinedown

**Recommended song: Her Name is Alice, Shinedown**

**Warning: Kind of violent. Rating might have to go up for this. And I describe Skull as being super small all the time when he was younger. He just strikes me as one of those tiny children. Maybe some Reborn OOC ness.**

**/**

_The screen blinked to life, moving as thought someone was using a video camera. It was the world as seen through the eyes of a child. A bedroom, creamy walls, a child's laugh. There was a woman with long violet hair and lilac eyes. An obvious relation, probably the mother._

"_Come now," She whispered the person on the bed. The image of her face took up the whole screen, as if this was the only thing worth seeing. "Go to bed. You'll need your rest for tomorrow."_

"_Yes, mommy." A tiny voice answered, sleep already evident in his response._

_A hand came into view, small and pale. It reached up toward the woman, wanting to grab on and never let go. The woman let a smile appear on her face. She leaned down, head moving out of view for a moment. A small kissing noise was heard, as well as a giggle._

"_Goodnight," she softly said to the child._

"_Night, night." Was the quiet response, along with an audible yawn. _

_With one last smile she turned and left the room, door opened just enough to let light from the hallway seep in. The screen focused in on the door, watching the shadows of people move in the light. The image went dark for a moment before coming back to life, like someone blinking. It happened again, then a third time. It didn't come back on._

_**Bam!**_

_The screen snapped to life at the noise, one of shattering glass. The vision is shaky for a few moments as the child hastily sat up in bed, covers crumpled at his feet. His tiny legs swing over the edge of the bed, feet unable to touch the ground._

"_Momma?" The child called out called out, but his small voice was swallowed up by the silence of his room. _

_There was shuffling outside the door, more sounds that couldn't be made out. The picture moved down suddenly, close to the ground, then looked back up. It was shorter than before, the child having jumped off the bed. He scrambled to stand up, shaky as his tiny legs tried to hold up his weight._

_The screen fuzzed out as if there was a bad connection. When it came back, the video was closer to the door, almost able to peek through the opening. Soft breathing was heard from the petite body in the doorway. With minute steps, he gently eased the door open and stepped through. Light poured over every surface, making the poor child blink multiple times._

_The camera tilted as the child peered around the corner. A sharp gasp escaped his lips._

_Red was everywhere. It was on the carpet, the couch. Droplets of the crimson liquid were splattered on the walls. Someone was on the floor, red spilling out of him and seeping onto the ground. What was once pottery now lay shattered on the floor. The woman from before was standing over him, facing the child, hair messy in a frazzled way. A hammer was clutched in her right hand. It was stained red too. She had her head down, focusing only on the person in front of her._

"_Mom…ma?" The child whispered in shock._

_The woman's head snapped up sharply. She dropped the hammer. There was madness in her eyes, sharp and clear, though her pupils were unfocused. A smile would be so out of place, but there it was, plastered on._

"_Did…did he get an owie?" _

_The woman nodded slightly, stepping forward. The child moved back in fright. Even someone as young as he could tell something was wrong. The woman kept moving forward, smile growing wider with every step, as if it were consuming her face._

"_Yes, dear," she answered. "He got an owie. Shouldn't you be in bed right now?" But she already knew the answer._

"_I-I'm sorry." His voice shook in fear, horrified at what was going to happen. The image swerved to the door to his room, then back at his mother. Her gaze had never wavered._

_The woman was in front of him, crouching down to his level. She almost blocked off the man behind her, but the red was still very visible as it oozed onto everything in sight. Her hand reached up as if to caress his face. Soft hiccups resonated from the boy, tear whipped away by his mother. It wasn't comforting gesture._

_Her arm moved out of frame to the side of his head. There was another hiccup as the child's head moved in a jerky manner, like someone was pulling at his hair. The camera tilted again._

"_Momma, that hurts. I'm sorry!" He whimpered._

_The smile never left her face._

"_Hush now."_

_And his head swung to meet the wall._

/

Everyone in the room stared at blank screen over the sleeping figure on the bed. Thoughts ran through each of their heads, each person horrified at the scene that had unfolded before them. No one said anything, the air tense.

Suddenly, a groggy moan came from the sleeping body. Skull's eyes fluttered open, sleepy smile playing at his lips.

"Did it work?" he asked. "What'd you see?" He looked excited, eyes shining in expectation. No one really wanted to be the one to speak up. Silence hung in the air, but Skull didn't seem to catch on to the feel of the room.

"We saw you baking girly cookies with Luce. How much for feminine can you get?"

Everyone looked quickly over to Reborn, whose face held no expression over what he had just witnessed. He looked completely normal.

Skull's face flushed.

"I-It's not girly! Those cookies were delicious! You even ate those!"

"Yes," Reborn agreed. "I ate cookies made by girls. Now go get some more."

"I'm not a girl or your servant!" Skull protested, taking off the helmet Verde had put on for the machine. He shook his head.

"You are my lackey. Understand this. Now go get some cookies and bake them."

Skull huffed in response, but he knew when he should give up. He hopped off the bed and stomped up the stairs muttering about 'stupid sempai.' For once, Reborn didn't punish him for this. He just let the teen make his way out of the room.

Skull was gone for only a few seconds before Reborn turned to the rest of the group. They all stared at him silently.

"Nobody tell him."

_/_

**For anyone who didn't get it, Verde made a machine that showed memories. The italics are what was shown on the memory machine. The reason I keep describing it like a camera is because memories show what you see. It's from Skull's point of view. Basically, just imagine a video recorder in place of your head and then playing the video back. Pretty lame, but I don't care. I liked it.**

**P.s. I hate how I can't seem to get the lyrics to be stacked on top of each other like they should be.**


	3. Once Upon My Memories

**If anyone would like to send in their own quotes or saying, feel free.**

**Summary: **He's not sure why, but lately Skull feels like he's been forgetting things he shouldn't.

**Quote: **

_Dancing bears,  
Painted wings,  
Things I almost remember,  
And a song someone sings,  
Once upon a December _

_Someone holds me safe and warm,  
Horses prance through a silver storm,  
Figures dancing gracefully across my memory..._

Far away, long ago  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart used to know,  
Once upon a December.

Someone holds me safe and warm,  
Horses prance through a silver storm,  
Figures dancing gracefully across my memory...

Far away, long ago  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart used to know,  
Things it yearns to remember.

And a song someone sings,  
Once upon a December- Once Upon A December, Disney's Anastasia

**Recommended Song: "**Once Upon A December"

**Warning:** AU -Amnesia or past life memories. You get to decide.

**Other notes: **Vongola means clam. Remember that.

This was also pretty spur-of-the-moment, so I didn't spend a lot of time editing it.

* * *

/

He's not sure why, but lately Skull feels like he's been forgetting things he shouldn't.

He's not quite sure when it all started exactly. Maybe it started with him being extremely paranoid when there was no cause to be. Maybe it started with getting a sudden sense of déjà vu at the oddest of times. Maybe it started with him thinking he knew someone on the street, only for it to be someone he'd never met before. Or, maybe it hadn't started anywhere. Maybe it had been happening from the very beginning.

The first time an incident really sticks out to him happened about a year ago. Skull had always been okay with just locking the door to his house and never thinking much of the real danger behind it. It wasn't some eureka moment, but somewhere along the line of not worrying, he had started double checking the locks on his doors and windows. That wasn't bad; in fact it probably would do him good to be a little safer.

Then, sometime after that, he started to stop in the doorway every time he got home to check if anything had been obviously moved while he was gone. If it looked like it had, or if he even had a_ hunch _something had moved, Skull would then go throughout his house checking if anyone was there. That was a little weird, but he chalked it up to watching too many movies.

Nearly a month after that, Skull started to _notice_ things about people. And it wasn't their hair style or if they got a new shirt. It was more like the things about them. He started to notice what type of shoes someone was wearing, if they were dirty or not, signifying their type of job. He started to notice things like calluses on a person's hands to guess what hobbies they had. He noticed any stains or tears they had on their clothes and skin, and he used this information to decide what they had been doing before he saw them. Nine times out of ten he was right on all three accounts. And it scares him.

Sometimes, when he takes walks, Skull will see someone or something out of the corner of his eye and he'll turn, only to see it was someone he didn't know. He noticed that it would always happen with the same people too, no matter how slim the odds were that he'd keep meeting the same strangers over and over again.

The first time it happened, he was passing some blond man who looked like he had just gotten out of the Navy. It had startled him at first and made him stop in the middle of the sidewalk. The blonde man hadn't paid him any attention as he stared awe struck. Even after the man had rounded the corner, Skull had stood there for another five minutes trying to figure out where he had seen him before. He couldn't remember.

After that, Skull got a part time job at some café/restaurant that's name meant clam or something where these things occurred a lot more often. He noticed it for a second time with an older man who came into the café every Saturday afternoon to have the same latte and grade papers that had complex equations written on them. Skull thought he was a college professor. He looked like one. He also looked like someone Skull might've known long, long ago but he never said anything.

Next came even more people Skull recognized. There were two girls, a red head and a brunette, who came in sometimes and giggled at their table about a nervous looking boy who worked with Skull and always dropped things. The first time he had seen them, he got a flash of the two young girls with longer hair and tired smiles, but he ignored that and took their order. Sometimes the red head stared at him for a while, looking puzzled, but he ignored her like he did the picture of an older her.

There was also a really clumsy man who always seemed to injure himself doing the most basic things who dropped by sometimes. This one seemed less familiar than the others, but the feeling was still there.

There was a rather solemn teen who came around every now and again. Skull stayed away from him because all he could think about when near him was pain, threats, and something that looked like a night stick. Skull wouldn't go near him out of pure fright and always had to get someone else to wait on the teen. The boy narrowed his eyes at him once, when a co-worker told him that Skull was supposed to serve his table, but he didn't say anything. He's not sure if he's grateful or not.

Others, of course, had also stopped by, but only once or twice. They were never really regulars. The blonde man came in one time. Skull had recognized him at once, but the same couldn't be said for the visitor. He had ordered black coffee, nothing else. Skull had gotten his order and said nothing to him. The blonde left and never came back. He still isn't sure if he's happy about that.

Once, and only once, a pair of boys came in and Skull could not help the shiver that ran down his spine. One was a red haired boy with glasses, a little nerdy and nervous and very out of place. But it was the other that had made him wary. The man had white hair, pure like snow, but Skull couldn't help but feel it was tainted. They sat in the back, far enough that people would need to strain to hear their conversation. All he could do was stare at them and think that there was something very _wrong _with this picture.

The white haired man, of course, had caught him staring. When the red head got up for something, the albino had turned to face Skull and _grinned_. He was smiling in a way that so horrifying, so unusual on that man's face it was all Skull could do to contain the feeling of dread that had welled up inside him.

Shortly after, the man and the red headed boy had left the café and had never come back. Skull had not felt at ease until they had been gone for over a week, but he never forgot them. They were going to change the world one day, he knew. And it wouldn't be good.

(Or maybe they already had.)

Skull is pretty sure that all these new things, these changes, had started long before he remembered them. Sometimes he lies back on his bed and thinks, but he can never come up with anything before a year ago. And he falls asleep trying to remember things he couldn't and dreams of a life he didn't have with people he doesn't know. He never remembers in the morning.

* * *

"Hey, Yamamoto? Do you ever get the feeling you're forgetting something?"

"Haha, sometimes! But my dad says that if you've forgotten it, it wasn't important enough to be remembered."

"Huh…I guess you're right."

* * *

He's not sure why, but lately Skull feels like he's been forgetting things he shouldn't. Or perhaps 'remembering' would be a better term.


	4. Behind the Mask

**Summary: **Skull has a problem. One that involves a sudden urge to swim and do all things involving moisture. This is why he hates masks…

**Quote: **"The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. ...You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask." – Jim Morrison

**Recommended Song: **Uh, Zelda theme?

**Warning: **Crack? And a few swears. But you should know that last one already.

**Other Notes: **Have you ever played Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask? Think of that game right here. It's sort of a cross over. If you've never played it, look up what happened to Link at the start of the game. It happens to Skull, except with a Zora mask instead of a Deku.

/

"Come out already!" Colonnello pounded on the front door, frustrated from having been yelling for so long. "I know you're in there!"

"No." Came the muffled reply through the door.

"Damn it, Skull," the blonde yelled back. "I don't want to break down your door and have your neighbors call the cops on me! Not again!" He paused. "I'm surprised they haven't already."

Skull could've told him his neighbors were gone for the weekend, but if that was the only thing keeping his sempai out, he didn't want to say it. Instead, he shifted his weight on the other side of the door, wishing he had a glass of water. He cursed every fish in the sea and all mischievous imps that there were. If he ever got his hands on that kid…

He shook his head, immediately regretting it. His head was killing him and he wanted a bath badly.

"Go away, semapi!" He bellowed, struggling to keep his voice in check. "Why would you suddenly start caring the one time I don't want you to?"

"I don't!" Was the oddly defensive reply. "Luce said one of us should check on you after that last mission you had. She told me to do it. And when I say told, I mean demanded with her evil, pregnant claws."

"Tell Luce I'm fine."

"She'll know I'm lying."

"Then make something up."

"I don't want to help a weakling like you!"

Skull sighed.

"You just can't make this easy can you?" he asked. Colonnello stayed silent for once.

The teen paused, debating on what to do. While he didn't want anyone to see him, Colonnello wasn't one to give up easily and he couldn't hold the door forever. Plus, he was getting really thirsty and the urge for a bath or shower was almost undeniable. He sighed again. The universe was just conspiring against him.

"Hey!" Colonnello's voice broke Skull out of his thoughts once more. "You dead or something?"

"Sempai," Skull's voice was quiet. The ex-COMBUSIN officer had to press his ear to the door to actually hear. "If I come out, you have to promise not to laugh or say anything to anyone. Especially not Verde. I do not want him near me right now."

"Yeah, whatever, just let me in." Colonnello rolled his eyes.

There was a click of a lock and, slowly, the door eased open just large enough for an arm to squeeze out. And one did. A blue blur shot out of the opening, grabbing Colonnello's shirt and dragging him inside. It was rather dark inside, the blinds closed and lights off. It took him a minute to adjust his eyes.

When they finally adjusted, he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Skull was standing in front of him, finding the floor unusually interesting. And yet it wasn't him.

Colonnello rubbed his hands over his eyes. The image stayed.

Where there was once pale skin now was replaced with a blue and green mixture. Once normal hands were now webbed, twisting the owner's shirt back and forth. Scratches, - Gills, he realized, - were etched onto the younger's neck. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie.

And yet it was unmistakably Skull's voice that echoed throughout the room.

"Have you ever heard of anything called Majora's Mask?

Colonnello swore silently.

Then out loud.

"Shit."

/

_Yeah, it was short but I was okay with it. I'll be making a few cross-overs or references to games and anime, so just deal with it. It won't be like this every time. But I couldn't pass up the chance to do this._

_Oh, and do any of you remember the Hand in the Can (my name for it) from Majora's Mask? You know, the hand in the toilet of the Stock Pot Inn? That scared the heck out of me as a kid. Did it freak anyone else out? I can't be the only one._


	5. What More Do You Need?

**Summary: **And for once, Reborn lets go of reason and just goes where life takes him. Or where Skull takes him. It's the same thing really.

**Quote: **It's a hundred and six blocks; I've got a full bladder, half an idea of where I'm going; it's Tuesday, and I am wearing sunglasses... What more do you need?  
_Bloo – Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, _

**Recommended Song: **Any song you listen to on long drives or just makes you feel nostalgic.

**Warning: **Um, crappy writing? And being really vague. But that one was on purpose.

**Feel free to leave a quote in the review.**

/

The sunlight was uncomfortably bright when it was reflected off the hood of the car, Reborn discovered. He lowered his fedora to block the light off, but it did little to help. Music blasted through the speakers of the car loudly, almost unbearably, but neither person moved to turn it off.

Not for the first time since he got in the vehicle, Reborn wondered just what he was doing.

Skull drummed one hand on the steering wheel, bobbing his head along with the song, fingers one twitch away from crashing. It didn't seem like he had any purpose in the driver's seat, just turning whenever feeling the need to. Something was obviously on his mind, but neither of them said anything. He wasn't sharing and Reborn didn't care.

Reborn thought about why he had gotten in the car in the first place.

The jingling of keys had made him look up from his book, his trance disturbed by the sudden noise. A familiar teen stood at the door, keys to his car in hand. He nodded toward the door, but didn't say anything. Reborn knew what he meant though.

He had raised an eyebrow.

'Where to?' Was the unspoken question.

Skull had shrugged.

'Does it matter?' Was the response.

Reborn supposed it hadn't.

And now here he was, driving aimlessly around Italy with someone he hit on a daily basis at the wheel and music he hated blaring from the speakers at a volume he was sure would damage his eardrums.

He decided it wasn't so bad.

(But you didn't hear it from him.)

/

Well, that was crappy. But I have no Internet right now, so writing it is, no matter how bad.


	6. Can't Trust Me, No

**Summary: (**Sort of sequel to _Innocence Trapped Inside the Brain._ This immediately popped into my head after reading the quote.)

Reborn had always been a liar. Why should now be any different?

**Quote: **"I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you."- Fredrich Nietzsche

**Recommended Song: **Pressure by Paramore. (Replace the 'We' with 'I' and it fits almost perfectly. To me, at least)

**Warning: **Implications of violence. Slight implied Reborn/Skull, or just in a comforting way.

**Other Notes: **This is about the fourth time UnwrittenWishes has given me an idea, on purpose or not. (Only the second or third I've posted becuase of it.) I'm not sure if it's good or bad. I'll say good for now. I guess she's now my personal idea maker.

And I know I said I wouldn't be doing this anytime soon, but I didn't expect to have no Internet for a day. So here we are.

**AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! I MAY NOT RESPOND BACK QUICKLY (AND I'M SORRY IF I DON'T) BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!**

/

"_Go to bed. You'll need your rest for tomorrow."_

_Red._

_Soft kisses._

_Red._

_Giggles._

_Red._

_A crash._

_Red._

_Someone hurt._

_Red._

_Madness._

_Red._

_Tears._

_Red._

_A smile._

_Red._

_Pain._

_**Red.**_

"Mom!"

Skull shot up in bed, the name of one he hadn't thought about in years past his lips before he could stop himself. His breathing was rapid, eyes dancing around the room for any sign of someone having been there. Of course, there was none. It was just a dream after all.

Breath hitched, the teen reached a hand up to his face, pulling back suddenly as he felt the wetness there. He stared at the moisture on his hand.

"I'm…crying?" he breathed. His brow furrowed.

Different images floated through his mind, head reeling from the memory fragments making themselves known once more. Never was it something full, something real. Only bits and pieces of one giant puzzle missing over half the needed parts. His mind pounded as he tried to line the clues up correctly. It was coming together, but ever so slowly. Only one thing stood out in his head clearly, the one thing not obscured by his own mind.

Red.

Different shades all blended together into a liquid form, some spots thin while others where thick and oozing out of nowhere. Red slid down the image of someone trapped behind his eyelids, staining floor and skin alike. It was splattered on walls that were once a cream color, gathered into puddles near furniture that used to be very nice. Red colored something sharp, something broken. Flecks of red landed under an eye, one shaded a nice lilac color not unlike-

Skull gasped as the soft clicking of his door knob twisting broke him out of his trance. When had he started to shake? Eyes dilated and wild snapped up to stare at his door, small bits of light seeping in from the hallway, just like it had when-

When what?

The familiar outline of a fedora should have reassured him, but Skull found himself trembling even more now, breath coming out in quick gasps as he hyperventilated. He didn't register exactly who it was, just that it was someone he knew.

The figure paused for a moment, the door closing behind him, causing Skull to tense up. Panic gripped at his heart, seizing it and making every beat echo throughout his ears.

Pictures flashed, faster now, dancing in front of his eyes, mixing in with reality-

And suddenly his ear was pressed against someone's chest, one hand on his back pulling him close, the other stroking his head.

"Breath," someone whispered. "Just breath."

Slowly, with the combined efforts of the hand in his hair and the heart pumping at a steady pace near his head, Skull's breathing returned to normal and the shivers died down. The wetness near his eyes had dried now, having no more tears to give.

The two stayed in that position long after his sobs had stopped wracking his body. The figure kept stroking his head and rubbing small circles on his back, relaxing the younger of the two. An eternity seemed to pass with the two sitting there in the dark, not a word said between them.

After what must've been hours, Skull, though unwilling, felt his eyes drifting close. The figure, sensing a change, gently leaned him flat onto the bed, never faltering in his soothing movements. After another ten minutes, Skull's breathing slowed and he fell asleep with someone close by his side.

/

When he woke up that morning, sunlight rousing him from a dreamless sleep, Skull told himself it was the panic attack that made his chest hurt, not the person he woke without that morning.

Why should it matter?

Reborn had always been a liar anyway.

/

**If you didn't get that last part, I was implying that Skull remembered everything about that night with his mom and was upset Reborn didn't tell him about it. Super vague, yes.**

**I could have made it so Skull only thought he had dreamt the entire night, with Reborn not acting any different the next morning and making Skull think it was some weird dream, but I've always been a sucker for a good tragedy. Or anything where the ending wasn't quite as happy as it could've been.**

**And if I don't post again soon, Happy (early) Halloween and I hope your costumes are great!**


	7. Such a Funny Way to Fall

**Summary: **He's falling, falling, falling, and there's absolutely nothing he can do to stop it.

**Quote: **_Strange maze, what is this place?  
I hear voices over my shoulder,  
Nothing's making sense at all.  
Wonder why do we race?  
And everyday we're running in circles,  
Such a funny way to fall._- Painting Flowers, All Time Low

**Recommended Song: **Painting Flowers by All Time Low

**Warning: **_**Major confusion.**_

**Other Notes: **Because I am obsessed in desperate need of something abstract.

If it seems really confusing and repetitive, don't feel bad. I was actually trying to make it like that. It is yours to interpret as you wish. All grammar mistakes (like a capital letter in the middle of a sentence) are on purpose. _Italics, _**bold, **and underline are on purpose too.

I'm really sorry I haven't been updating a lot lately. I just got out of the Reborn fandom for a while. I didn't want to write and wouldn't if my heart wasn't in it. It won't be the last time it happens, but I'm back now. Sorry for the delay!

Has anyone else noticed how I always seem to have Skull injured, abused, upset, or just hurt in some way? I noticed that. I guess it's just how I show my appreciation for him.

**Also, the pole on my profile that's been up there forever will be closing soon! If you haven't voted yet, please do. I'll only keep it up for a few more days.**

Hopefully I'll get more (and less confusing) writing up soon.

* * *

He's falling-

- falling -

_-falling –_

and there is absolutely nothing he can do to stop it. He falls for eternity and less than a second, time **m**el_ting_ and t_w_istin**g** even though it was never real in the first place.

(because, really, was _anything_?)

So he fallS and fAlls and **f**aLLs and it's _horrible_. He falls and falls and falls and feels dead, devoid of all feeling other than complete helplessness and despair-

Except, he thinks, how can he feel even that?

So he doesn't.

* * *

He's falling-

- falling -

_-falling –_

-and someone is speaking.

(_h_**a**_lf_) words and (**al**m**ost**) sounds dance through the air, dance and move and fly where he cannot. They taunt him, laughing because he is falli_n_g and they are **not**.

(but maybe it isn't them)

Most of them don't make sense, jumblingtogetherinahugemess, filtering in and out of his (_non_**exist**ent) hearing. He doesn't understand and it gets worse when he can actually hear-

_**(i-)**_

_whispering_

_(do you re…that time w-en…)_

_(don't….ru-…)_

**yelling**,

_(g…d m-ning…)_

praying

_(…-hy…w-y…-ould yo-…)_

and he doesn't _**understand**_-

_(hatehatehatehatehate)_

Maybe I'm crazy, he thinks.

_(-ake up wake up wake up ohgodplease)_

Then he wonders how he can think.

_(neverforgiveyouif)_

So he doesn't.

**(-**_love__**you**_**)**

* * *

He's falling-

- falling -

_-falling –_

-and there is music everywhere.

He likes this better than the mocking whispers because it doesn't mock him like they did. It's much clearer now then it was before.

The music is soft, gentile, like a mother rocking her child to sleep.

_(you are my sunshine-)_

I don't want to go to sleep, he thinks.

_(- my only sunshine. you-)_

But maybe it's too late for that.

* * *

He's falling-

- falling -

_-falling –_

-and for a moment he _isn't_.

It is the greatest moment of his life.

For a moment, an incredibly short, amazing moment, he stops falling.

He

**stops**

falling.

(and he thinks someone is there, whispering things he can't make out, only now it's not so bad and it's almost comforting to hear. something wet drips onto his face, then on his hand. but he still can't move to wipe it off, only now that's okay because)

Then all he knows is hell and-

f

**a**

l

L

i

n

g

_(-make me happy when skies are grey. _

_you'll never know dear, how much I-)_

* * *

-and he's falling-

- falling -

_-falling –_

**-and-**

* * *

Skull wakes up.

Someone sings.

* * *

_(-love you._

_Please don't take my sunshine away.)_


	8. Lose You All Over Again

I have not updated this in so long. Sorry. Hope you're not too disappointed.

**Summary: **Skull's day starts out pretty bad. Then it gets worse when he finds out he's dead. Sort of. The gun at his head isn't helping.

**Quote**: "Because I can't lose you again, okay! I _can't_." – Mr. Incredible, The Incredibles

**Recommended Songs: **Bad Day by Daniel Powter, I guess. Well, for some of it anyway.

**Warning: **Slight character death. But it's in an alternate universe and it's never shown. So yeah. And Reborn is OOC, but he has his reasons for being slightly nicer than usual. Also because I just can't do Reborn. And OOC Shoichi. You know what, **everyone is OOC**. But it's also an AU. So yeah.

Everyone in general is a little nicer.

A little ColoSkl if you pay attention.

And mood whiplash.

**Other Notes: **I'm hoping the ending isn't too sudden. I tried to put a few little hints throughout the story. Not sure how that worked out.

* * *

When Skull woke up today, he did not expect to be run over by a screaming cow baby who knocked his helmet from his head and demanded candy. He also didn't expect to have a bazooka fire pink smoke in his face. Nor did he expect to suddenly land on a wooden table and smack his skull against it to the point where he saw stars. But that's exactly what happened and it's the position he's in now.

Skull's not having a great day.

"Okay, _ow!_" He screamed, clutching his head. He rolled over in an attempt to stand and ended up going over the side of the table. "_Ah!_"

Floor, meet face. Congratulations.

Skull whimpered a bit as he removed his face from the carpet. What had he done to deserve to be punished this time, God? It must've been something.

He looked around the room, scrambled brain barely recognizing where he was.

"The Vongola meeting room? Why am I here?" He muttered to himself.

_Click._

The cold metal of a gun settled against his skull.

Today was just _not_ his day.

Skull froze for a moment, tense, and then whipped around to grab the gun behind him. His hand was block by another, but he swung his leg to knock his attacker over. There was a flash of black and suddenly Skull ended up on his back with an arm pressed against his throat. He struggled to get free, limbs flailing blindly. His body was immediately restrained. Skull swore lightly under his breath before looking up into the face of his attacker. His eyes widened slightly.

"_Reborn? _What the hell are you doing? Get off me!" He yelled, once again attempting to be free on the person a top him. He struggled to no avail as the grip on him only tightened.

"Who are you?" Reborn demanded, pressing harder against Skull's throat. He choked a bit.

"W…" Skull coughed. "What the hell do you mean who am I? I'm Skull, the person you abuse on a daily basis. Oh, wait, that's just about everyone, isn't it?"

His snarky behavior earned him a hit with the bottom of a pistol.

"Ouch! What are you doing? I haven't done anything wrong this time!" He ground out. "Are you high?"

"You are not Skull. That is impossible." Reborn stated calmly, eyes searching those of his victim for any trace of lying. "What are you doing here?"

Skull tried to knee Reborn but failed due to lack of movement. All he ended up doing was shifting his weight.

"Wish I knew, buddy!" He screamed at the fedora wearing man. "The first thing that happened today was that I got shot in the face by some brat with a bazooka! Then I landed here and got myself attacked by you! So _get off_!" He squirmed under the man's weight, trying to catch his breath.

At the mention of being shot with a bazooka, Reborn's grip slackened just enough so Skull was able to move his arms and he wasn't being choked to death. He shoved Reborn's hands away from his face, propping himself on his elbows as he went.

"Bazooka…?" Reborn muttered to himself. There was a strange look in his eyes, one of remembrance.

"_Yes_, a bazooka. Are you going to make me repeat myself?" Skull scowled, but he relaxed a bit. It was clear that Reborn was coming to his senses. He snorted. "Heck if I know what that means." (1)

Reborn stared at the younger, looking for any sign of doubt, any signal to show it was a lying imposter in front of him, not the real Skull. He saw nothing to disagree. Slowly, he stood up from the ground and brushed himself off. Once that was done, he offered a hand to Skull as he had not moved from his position on the floor. He eyed it warily, unsure if it was a trick or not.

"Take it." Reborn growled.

Skull visibly jumped, but took the hand anyway. He was lifted to his feet where the teen make sure to stay at an arm's length distance, just in case Reborn tried anything again. He was more relaxed than before, but not fully. He still wasn't sure if Reborn was to be trusted when so out of character.

"Okay." The door opened, allowing someone from outside to come in. "We've come to a conclu…" The female's voice trailed off for some reason.

Skull turned his head, not bothering to turn around fully. There was Lal staring at him with disbelief etched onto her features. Colonnello and Verde were behind her and, if the small parts of the black coat he could see were true, so was Viper. Each person had mixtures of shock on their face blended with other personal emotions.

And then suddenly Colonnello went crazy.

"Imposter!" He growled, jumping at Skull. Said person tried to scramble out of the way, profanities making their way out of his mouth as he played some version of extreme tag with Colonnello. He heard Reborn mutter something about "having a foul mouth."

"Not again!" Skull dived under the table, just barely escaping Colonnello's wrath.

He maneuvered out of the way as the blonde jumped over the table, aiming a kick for his face. Skull ducked under his foot and sprinted to the doorway, hiding behind Lal, whom he knew Colonnello would never hit. Lal remained frozen and, oddly, he noticed, tense. He could feel Verde's lab coat brush against him from behind, but he didn't move either.

Colonnello suddenly stopped when he got behind Lal, but that didn't hinder Skull from yelling at him.

"Why are you attacking me?" Skull asked, cowering behind Lal as much as her figure would allow. He was holding on to her arms, but she made no effort to remove stop him. "I haven't done anything wrong today! Is this some sort of new game you came up with? 'Beat Up Skull For No Reason', right?"

"You know exactly why I'm doing this!" Colonnello screamed at him, but didn't move an inch. "Let her go!"

Skull blinked at him.

"Let who go?" he asked. He glanced up at the woman he was hiding behind.

"Lal?" he said, letting her go and taking another step back. "You act like I was holding her captive or something. And that doesn't explain why you attacked me the first time."

Colonnello opened his mouth to say something, but Reborn cut him off.

"That's not an imposter."

"What?" Colonnello gave Reborn a funny look, as did Lal and the others. "That's impossible."

"Now why do you keep saying things like that?_ Imposter_." He mimicked. "_Liar_. Just tell me if I did something wrong and get it over with!" Skull rubbed his head in frustration, careful to avoid where he had hit himself earlier.

"I'm saying that," Colonnello ignored what Reborn had said, choosing common sense over his teammate. "Because you are _not_ Skull!"

"And why is that?" He demanded.

"Because Skull of the Arcobaleno is dead."

A tense silence filled the room, everything perfectly still. Colonnello's heavy breathing slowed slightly, calming him down. Skull didn't move either, trying to digest this information. Reborn just lowered his fedora over his eyes in response.

"Oooh." Skull broke the silence, allowing for everyone to turn their heads to him. "I get it now."

"You do?" Reborn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head. Skull stepped out from behind Lal. "I'm dreaming right now."

"No, you're not."

"_Yes_, I am." Skull nodded to himself again. "That weird cow-baby-thing knocked me out this morning when I went outside. The entire time I've been here, I've actually been unconscious in reality." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Stupid kid better not mess with any of my stuff."

"Baby…cow?" Colonnello seemed to change at the mention of the child, like how Reborn when he mentioned a bazooka. He seemed to relax more, standing up straighter. He started to mutter to himself.

Skull nodded his head solemnly.

"Yeah, that probably should've been my first clue. That's the last time I go to bed after eating chocolate." He paused. "I wonder when I'll wake up." The teen sighed before shrugging and turning to Lal and Verde. Viper had disappeared somewhere along the line, off to do…illusionist things. Oh well.

"If I'm asleep I might as well make the most of it." He reached forward and grabbed both Lal's and Verde's wrists with either hand. Usually he wouldn't do anything like this, but it was his dream, so he might as well take advantage of it.

"Come." He said, dragging them both through the doorway despite how Lal was eyeing him. "We are going to eat sweet things while someone explains the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit to me." (2)

He ignored their twin looks of disbelief as he walked them down the hall. He also ignored how they looked ready to have a heart attack. Skull was getting better at that.

* * *

Back in the room, Colonnello and Reborn were discussing how this might've happened.

"There was no smoke when he dropped in. One moment he was there, the next he was rolling around on the floor." Reborn told the blonde. "If the bazooka really was used, there was something wrong with it. Which corresponds with how he's been here past the time limit."

Colonnello nodded in agreement. "I don't _think_ he's a fake, but... I just can't believe someone can come back from the dead. Not without something like the tri-ni-set" He paused for a moment, almost unwilling to speak. "The ten year bazooka would explain some things."

"Whatever the reason," Reborn said, looking over to the doorway Skull had previously occupied, "We need to speak to Shoichi and Spanner."

Colonnello himself was fighting an internal battle. On one hand, he wanted to have Skull back, like they all did. He wanted to apologize to him about how he wasn't able to save him back then. He wanted the old Skull, the one who whined and tried to beat him all the time. He missed him.

On the other hand, he knew that people shouldn't be back from the dead and it was too good to be true. There was no way he could stay here. Colonnello didn't even know if this was the real Skull.

He really wasn't sure what to believe.

* * *

"-So I then she said that they don't teach people at her school as advanced computer techniques as they did there, and I said 'They don't teach you how to turn on a computer by pressing the ON button?' I can't believe some people these days." (3) Skull's smile took up much of his face.

Maybe today wasn't so bad after all. Verde looked rather uncomfortable and out of place in the kitchen, clutching a cup of tea as if it would suddenly disappear, as did Lal, but it really wasn't so bad. Dreams gave him a chance to talk more than he usually could and he was sure they would loosen up soon. The food wasn't half bad either.

"Yeah…" Lal spoke for the first time since Skull had shown up. "Can't believe it..." She murmured. The woman shook her head sharply and took a sip of her tea to clear her head. It wasn't too bad, but Lal still felt like **she **was the one in the dream, not Skull.

Just go with it, she told herself. Just go with it until someone explains what's going on. No matter how much seeing him is killing you right now.

"Hey, Lal," Skull frowned at the scientist at the table. "How come Verde talks to himself all the time?"

Lal glanced over to Verde. He was staring at his cup as if it were a portal to another dimension.

"People are back from the dead. This goes against all scientific research ever made." He muttered. "It is impossible. There could only be one answer: science. And yet science cannot do this. There must be another alternative. Are zombies possibilities?"

"I think I broke him." Skull said, but really didn't seem very bothered by it. He shrugged and turned back to Lal. "So how have you been?"

"…Fine…"

"Would you like to go more in depth?"

"No."

"Okay then."

The shuffling of feet made the presence of people outside the kitchen known. Lal and Skull looked up when the door opened, revealing Reborn, Colonnello, the tenth Vongola boss, and a red head Skull had never seen before. Skull waved in hello as he took a sip of his drink. Refreshing.

"Hello dream people!" He smiled at them. Tsuna frowned.

"Why did he call us that?" The brunette asked the others.

"He's convinced he's asleep right now." Reborn responded. Tsuna's frown deepened.

The red head made his way over to Skull and immediately began poking and prodding at him.

"Um, please don't do that," Skull asked him, slightly startled at how sudden the teen had acted. The teen's hands brushed over a ticklish spot on his neck, causing Skull to giggle and wobble in his chair.

"Stop it!" He said between laughs. The teen adjusted his glasses.

"I apologize." He said. "I just was making sure you were really all there. Physically, I mean." Skull cocked his head to the side.

"Why would you need to do that?"

"You could disappear at any time, even without our influence on you." Was the answer he got back. "I'm Ire Shoichi, by the way."

"I'm Skull," he said. "So, why would I disappear? You mean when I wake up?"

"You're not asleep, stupid. I've told you that." Reborn told him, a small frown on his face as usual. Skull rolled his eyes.

"And what's a more plausible answer then? That I'm in the future?" He shot back.

"Yes, actually." Shoichi spoke up. Skull stared at him.

"Do you really believe I'm that stupid? If I were in the future, you'd look older and things around the base would be different. Everything's still the same." He snorted. "What's next, alternate dimensions?"

Everyone in the room stared in disbelief.

"Skull… "Tsuna began slowly. "Have you ever heard of someone named Byakuran?"

Skull blinked at him.

"Who?"

"Judging from your response," Shoichi went on to say. "An alternate dimension could be a possibility if the bazooka was malfunctioning."

"SCIENCE PREVAILS!" Verde screamed, shooting up from his seat. He seemed to remember where he was and sat back down as if nothing happened. No one said anything about it.

"That's just great." Skull huffed. "First you're convinced I'm dead. Then you say I'm from the future. And now I'm from an alternate dimension. What's next, a –_oh_." He cut himself off, eyes widening slightly at the new sensation.

Colonnello stood up straighter, taking a step closer to Skull as Shoichi got a weird look on his face.

"What's wrong?" the blond asked.

"I feel tingly." Skull held up his hand to the light. Someone gasped, but he was too focused on the fact his skin was transparent to figure out who. He flickered back and forth between being solid and just a ghost of himself for a moment before he went back to being whole and stayed there. Somewhere along the line, Colonnello had gotten awfully close, but he brushed it off. He was a bit focused on his hand at the moment.

"What does that mean?" Colonnello demanded, looking at Shoichi. "Will…will he disappear?"

"It's quite likely, yes," Shoichi told him. "You can't just take someone from one dimension to another without there being repercussions. The dimension Skull is from is most likely trying to stabilize itself by bringing him back to fill what was lost."

"How long will that take?" Tsuna asked, a little lost with what was happening.

"It could happen at any time. It takes a lot of power to bring someone to another dimension. It'll take even more to bring Skull back to that specific time and place he left. But he can't be here too long."

"Why?"

"Well…" Shoichi trailed off. "Remember what happened to Ghost's world? It collapsed in on itself."

Reborn made a frustrated noise while several others paled.

"Ah! Don't worry!" Shoichi rushed to reassure them. "There's only a 2 percent chance of that happening. The universe usually takes care of itself."

"Is there anything we can do?" Tsuna asked. Shoichi shook his head.

"Like I said, the universe takes care of itself. Any interference on our part would only hinder what needs to be done."

As if on cue, Skull flickered again for a moment before becoming solid once more.

"Ugh, I hate that," he said. "Stupid dream."

Reborn glared at him. He smacked the other on the back of his head.

"Ow! That hurt." Skull whined, rubbing the back of his head.

"Exactly."

"Huh?"

"People don't feel pain in dreams, stupid."

"Oh, yeah." Skull paused. "Crap."

"Now he gets it." Colonnello criticized. He shook his head, arms crossed.

Skull's head hit the table, startling Tsuna.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge." He drew out the word as long as he could. Shoichi looked at the rest of the group.

"I would suggest using this time to tie any loose ends you may have with the Skull of our world. They may not be the same people, but from what I gather our dimensions are rather alike. The same instances may have occurred.

"But also keep in mind that things could also be drastically different in some areas," Shoichi warned. "I suggest to tred carefully, all of you."

And with that he left the room. Tsuna trailed after him, muttering about how this was not going to be his problem this time since there was nothing he could do anyway. That left Arcobaleno, minus Viper, Fon, and Luce, alone with each other.

Skull was still whining at the table.

"This sucks. I liked it better when I thought this was a dream." He said, messing with the chain that connected his lip to his ear. It was always a nervous habit of his. He made a disappointed noise in the back of his throat.

"Quite whining." Reborn said. Skull made a face, but stopped making noise. He didn't want to be hit again.

"So, what was your dimension like?" Verde asked him, pulling a pad and pencil from his pocket. Skull looked over at him.

"Huh? Oh, I guess it was about the same as this one. Except for the, you know, dead part." He said.

"And are there any immediate differences you notice?" Verde asked, jotting something down. Skull shrugged.

"Not really. I mean, Reborn-sempai still hits me, but he also offered to help me up earlier," Skull frowned. It was more like he was talking to himself now. "Colonnello tried to hurt me to, but he thought I was a clone or something, so I guess he had an excuse. Lal still doesn't talk to me much, even after I came in here with the specific intention of doing so. You're still kind of a creeper and vaguely remind me of someone who'd drag kids to a van with the promise of candy-"

Verde made a sort of gagging noise and dropped his pencil. Colonnello was sent into a fit of laughter. Even Lal and Reborn smiled, though with Reborn it was more of an evil smirk.

"Viper left already, but I guess that's something she…he…_it _would do if there wasn't money involved," Skull went on, oblivious. "And…do you guys have a Luce here?"

The silence that met him was answer enough.

"Guess not. Sorry. I really don't know much about anything here yet."

"How about you just tell us a general description of your world?" Lal prompted him.

"Where would I start?" He made a face.

"Just start with us." Lal said.

" 'Kay," he said, thinking. "We really aren't around each other too much. The Arcobaleno don't really like each other. Not all together anyway."

Lal and Colonnello let the surprise show on their face. Reborn frowned, Verde happily writing notes. Skull didn't notice.

"Everyone kind of hates me. Reborn calls me his lackey and makes me do stuff I don't want to. He and Colonnello usually either beat me up or ignore me. Lal ignores me most of the time. Fon is nice enough, but he doesn't get between Colonnello and Reborn hurting me. It's the only thing they can agree on, by the way. They always fight with each other when they're around.

"Viper changed his or her name to Mammon and works for a group called Varia now. Viper's still greedy though. And no one really trusts Verde. I don't think he likes anyone else either. He's always off somewhere else. He'll do anything to get a result for an experiment, even kill us."

No one said anything for a moment. No one knew _what _to say. Skull finally looked up from the table and took notice of the uncomfortable silence.

"What?" he asked. "Isn't that how things are here?"

Another beat passed.

"Skull…" Lal started. "Why don't you just fight back? Why do you let yourself get beaten up?"

Skull looked at her like she was stupid.

"I _have,_" he said. "I once attacked Mafia Land over it, you know. I lost, of course."

"Isn't that a little extreme?"

"Not really. It's not like I'd never tried to stop them before. I thought I needed to do something extreme to show them I wasn't that weak." He averted his eyes, shoulders slumping. "But I guess I'm not that strong after all."

Colonnello stood to Skull's right and put a hand on his shoulder. The younger looked at him surprised.

"What are you doing?"

"Uh," Colonnello blushed slightly. "It's supposed to be reassuring."

Skull furrowed his brows.

"But why?"

"Maybe because he cares." Reborn spoke as if he were slow.

It was Skull's turn to be awkward.

"How are things like here?" He asked.

"Well," Colonnello started. "The Arcobaleno are a whole lot closer for one thing. We get along and actually work as a team. "

"That's so weird." Skull said. But he was smiling, happy the Arcobaleno got along in at least one place.

"Reborn and I still hit you from time to time," Colonnello said, making Skull's face fall a bit. He quickly added, "But not without reason! And we don't beat you up, jut smack the back of your head a bit when you deserve it."

"That's not so bad," Skull said. "I think I actually like this place a bit more." Colonnello gave a half smile.

"You're still the youngest in the group, but we try to help you instead of hurt you. Everyone seems mostly the same, just…nicer. At least it seems that way."

Skull brightened up.

"I would totally like this place more than- Oh, not again." Skull cut himself off. His body became transparent again, flickering between solidity and nothing. He drew his knees to his chest. "I'm really starting to hate this feeling."

The experience lasted just over a minute, the longest yet. Reborn and Colonnello shared a look. Lal kept watching the three while Verde wrote more notes.

"It seems like you'll be going soon." Reborn said. Skull pouted, unaware of how Colonnello tensed next to him.

"Aw, but this place was just getting good." Skull said.

Colonnello stared at the youngest one in the room for a long moment. He gave a quick glance at Reborn before grabbing Skull by the wrist and helping him out of the chair.

"I need to talk to you before you go," he said. Reborn sent him a disapproving look.

"He's not him, Colonnello." Reborn told him.

"I know," the blonde said. "There's just something I need to do."

Skull looked back and forth between the two of them, wondering what was going on. The older two stared at each other for a moment, before Colonnello broke the contest and dragged Skull out.

The hallway twisted and turned several times before Colonnello pulled him into a bedroom, most likely the blonde's own. It was mostly clean, not much in it. A gun cleaning kit was in the corner. A few photographs hung on the walls and were on Colonnello's bedside table. These were what interested Skull the most so he tried to study them for a moment.

Most hung on the walls, so he looked at those first. One was of Reborn and Colonnello training with each other, obviously in the middle of an intense fight. The next had everyone in it, looking at the camera with big smiles on their face. Well, those who actually smiled did. Reborn had his normal expression on.

"I'm sorry," Colonnello drew Skull's attention from the pictures. He blinked.

"What for?"

Looking at Skull's innocent expression, Colonnello felt another wave of guilt pass over him. He had to remind himself this wasn't the same Skull, that he would have to go soon. They were just so alike…

"It's more like what I didn't do." He said.

"I'm not quite following here." Skull told him bluntly.

Colonnello raised his hand causing Skull to flinch, more out of habit than anything else, but Colonnello froze immediately. His hand fell back to his side.

"In this world…" Colonnello said. "I'm the reason you died."

Skull cocked his head to the side.

"Did you stab me in the heart or something?"

"What!" Colonnello gasped. "No! Of course not!"

"Then I don't think you caused the other me's death." Skull reassured him. Colonnello hit his forehead.

"No, you don't understand," he said. The edges of Skull's body became a little fuzzy. "We went on a mission. We should've had back up, but we didn't. I said I'd watch your back, but I wasn't paying attention and you got shot. You died because of me."

Skull was unsure of what to do.

"I…don't blame you?" It came out more of a question. He hurried to fix himself. "What I mean is, I don't think the me of this world would blame you. Not that I would really know. Or maybe I would. I don't know how this is supposed to work." He scratched the side of his head. Awkward.

Colonnello had his head bowed, shoulders shaking. He didn't make a sound, but Skull was sure he was crying. It was so unlike the Colonnello he knew, who would rather shoot himself than show emotion. Skull raised his hands in a 'calm down' gesture.

"H-hey, don't cry! It's alright, uh-whoa!" Before he knew it, Colonnello had grabbed him so Skull's arms were trapped between the two of them, the blonde's arms around his upper body. He'd pat Colonnello on the back if he could. "It's fine, really, I don't blame you for anything that happened here."

Colonnello didn't loosen his grip. If anything, it got tighter. Skull felt himself flicker again. It wouldn't be long now.

Unsure of what to say, Skull let his attention wander back to the picture. He stared at the one on the bedside table, not quite believing what he saw. In the photo Skull and Colonnello had bright smiles on their face, obviously having a good time. Skull was giving a 'peace' sign, Colonnello's arms wrapped around his waist. It was something that would never happen in the world this Skull came from. He felt his face heat up.

"I'm sorry," Colonnello was whispering. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Skull told him again, feeling like he was in a dream.

He took a breath to say something else and suddenly Colonnello was holding only air.

* * *

"Ah!" Skull yelled as he landed on something hard. He rolled over and fell onto the floor for the second time that day. "What is with the world and tables?"

A boot pressed itself to his head.

"Where did you come from, servant?" A familiar voice drawled. Skull never thought he'd actually be the tiniest bit happy to hear it.

"Reborn!" he said, struggling. "Get your foot off my head!"

The foot pressed down harder. It felt like de-ja-vu.

"I'll only ask one more time, lackey. You just fell out of thin air and ruined my lunch. I think your master has a right to know where you were."

"Maybe I should shoot him, kora. He might talk then."

The struggling stopped. Then he fell right back into place as an actor should.

"Sempai! You really don't have to do that!" Skull panicked. He stared at the blonde who, at another time and place, he was friends with. It almost hurt as much as the bullet Colonnello was getting ready to fire did.

Skull went back to struggling.

* * *

"I told you he wasn't the same person."

"I know. He's gone too."

"And now you only hurt more."

"No. Maybe. I don't know."

"Are you happy with yourself?"

"I haven't been in over a year."

"You know what I mean."

"…"

"…"

"I think I made the right choice. Even if they're not the same person."

"Congratulations, Colonnello. Once again, you manage to hurt yourself."

"…"

" I hope your happy."

"…So do I."

* * *

1. Skull wouldn't know about the TYL!Bazooka because he's never seen it used. At least, I don't think so. Pretend it's an AU if I'm wrong.

2. People in Japan use Celsius, right? So I figure Skull wouldn't know how Fahrenheit worked unless someone explained it, which no one ever did. IDK. Just roll with it. I needed Skull out of the room.

3. This honestly happened today. The kid I sit next to got confused on how to _turn on his computer_. I pointed at the on button. He starts checking the top of the monitor, where it was not. I turned it on for him and said he should know how to turn on a computer at his age. He defended himself with "They didn't teach as much at my old computer class." Really? They didn't teach you to press a button? Thought so.

All in all, I feel like I could've written this a lot better. It's taken so long to write this and I just don't want to go through the trouble of remaking it. I feel like it's okay, but a little rushed or sudden. Critiques are welcome, please.

In case you didn't know, the people talking at the end were Reborn and Colonnello. I really hate how I ended this.

Actually I think I might hate all of this.


	9. A Day In The Life

**Summary: **It's 4:00 AM and Skull wakes up to someone screaming, "Screw the environment!" in a drunken slur and throwing baby trees at his window. _Baby trees._

_Not again, _he thinks. He somehow manages to stumble out of bed. Outside, the lunatic keeps screaming. Sirens were heard in the distance.

At 4:26 Skull manages to convince Colonnello to calm down and the police that he wasn't an escapee from an asylum.

Or

"He started yelling 'fuck the environment' then puked all over the baby trees." – Same as above

(It's funny because I read the second one after I had already written Colonnello's part. XP)

**Recommended song: **I'm No Superman, by Lazlo Bane. (Just because.)

**Warning: **little crackish.

**Other Notes: **I am aware a baby tree is called a sapling. I just thought baby tree sounded better.

**(Oh my gosh guys, I've been gone for so long! I just want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed or just waited patiently. I have a habit of getting into things, then fading out of them, so I'm sorry for making you wait. I really appreciate you and I hope you guys enjoy this bit of humor I've passed along to you.)**

* * *

It's 4:00 A.M. and Skull wakes up to someone screaming, "Screw the environment!" in a drunken slur and throwing baby trees at his window. _Trees._

_Not again, _he thinks. He somehow manages to stumble out of bed. Outside, the lunatic keeps screaming. Sirens were heard in the distance.

4:26 A.M.

Skull manages to convince Colonnello to calm down and the police that he wasn't an escapee from an asylum. He goes back to bed, exhausted and with Colonnello passed out in his bushes.

8:04 A.M.

Skull wakes up for the second time. He finds Colonnello still passed out in his bushes. He leaves him a cup of coffee and takes a shower.

8:30 AM.

The coffee mug is gone.

So is Colonnello.

That mug will never be seen again.

He liked that one too.

Damn.

9:26 A.M.

He's forcefully dragged from his home by Verde who goes on and on about needing a test subject. Skull is too tired to resist, so he just allows himself to be thrown in a van that looks like it's used to forcefully kidnap children in. It had probably been used for that purpose before anyway.

9:43 A.M.

Skull regrets allowing himself to be taken hostage by Verde. Several needles had been thrust into his arm (which stung horribly) and he was now heaving the last of his breakfast into a toilet.

He finally collapsed on to the floor, clutching his burning stomach. He distracts himself from the pain by thinking of different ways to get back his coffee mug.

Verde sucks.

10:10 A.M

Verde buys Skull another coffee mug for not struggling _too_ much and only crying for twenty minutes, a lot less than what he had expected. He also buys coffee to go in that mug.

Skull debates on whether or not Verde tampered with his drink for a few seconds before shrugging and drinking half of it in one go. It's surprisingly delicious. He hadn't known how much he had needed coffee until that moment.

Verde rules.

11:33 A.M.

He's finally kicked out of the lab for being 'too distracting'. Skull huffs and tells himself he's just fine with being alone, it's not like he wanted to _talk_ to someone or anything.

Halfway home he realizes it's snowing and he forgot to grab a coat when he was kidnapped.

He vaguely wonders if Verde would let him back in the lab. After deciding he'd probably just get a laser beam to the face, he tries to remember where everyone else lives, the distance to his house from where he is now, how much time it would take to get to the different places, and which would be fastest.

Skull decides math is not his thing.

12: 57 P.M.

Skull passes the same tree for the twelfth time before deciding he's lost. Stupid Verde. Why did he have his lab in the middle of a forest? It's not like he couldn't have just rented a building like normal people.

He has no real plan as what to do to get himself out of this situation. So, he does exactly what he does whenever he needs help.

Skull finds a nice patch of (not frozen) grass, sits down, and screams as long and loud as he can.

1: 09 P.M.

Reborn finds him by following what he called "the sound of intelligence dying."

The older man stares at the teen sitting in the snow, face red with cold and clutching an empty coffee mug.

The staring contest carries on for five minutes until Skull whines about being cold. Reborn gives him a strange look, shakes his head, and walks away.

Because no movement was made to stop him, Skull happily follows.

1:30 P.M.

Skull actually does end up getting a coat via Reborn wrapping one around a brick and throwing it at him. Reborn's aim is never off, so it hits him right in the face. Normally he'd be upset about that, but he has to first unwind the coat from the brick.

Reborn slams the door in Skull's face and locks it. Skull puts on the coat, finally a little warm, and begins to yell at Reborn for locking his awesome self out.

It takes thirty seconds before one of the windows opens up just enough to let the barrel of a gun stick out. Skull spots it and immediately runs, shots ringing in his ears.

1:45 P.M.

He's nearly home (for real this time) when he starts to wonder why Reborn would have a coat his size. It's at least three sizes too small for the man in question.

The most rational explanation, of course, is that the coat had belonged to the last person Reborn had murdered and he had obviously taken it from the body before he disposed of it.

Skull ignores the fact Reborn doesn't steal from dead people.

He decides to burn the coat when he gets home.

2:00 P.M.

Skull somehow manages to light a fire in his cold, soaking backyard. He puts the coat in the middle and watches as fire slowly engulfs the wood and clothing.

If he laughs a little sadistically and imagines it's people he hates (Colonnello The-Coffee-Mug-Stealer and I'm-So-Much-Better-Than-You Reborn), who can blame him?

2:55 P.M.

He starts to relight the fire for the third time when he realizes there's a meeting at three o'clock and he's not ready at all.

Skull shoots out the door, remembering to grab his _real_ jacket before he goes.

3:14 P.M.

It was regularly a thirty minute drive, but he had managed to cut the time to nineteen minutes by speeding. He may or may not have almost hit a school bus full of children.

When he bursts into the already in session meeting, Reborn asks why he smells like smoke. Skull tells him he burned his horrible, dead person coat and that he would not be getting it back.

Everyone makes a weird face and goes back to the meeting.

4:11 P.M.

The meeting gets out early since Verde destroyed the conference room showing off his new machine.

The reason is the same as usual, so the secretary uses the shortcut. Ctrl F+U.

5:00 P.M.

Reborn punches him in the face.

Colonnello takes advantage of this and kicks him in the ribs.

5:06 P.M.

Viper uses him as a chair because he did not stand up fast enough.

Not again…

5:58 P.M.

It takes nearly an hour, lots of crying, and some bribes to convince Viper to not use him as a chair anymore. His side is sore from all the abuse lately. He's pretty sure one of his ribs is cracked.

Skull calls the he-she fat.

5:59 P.M.

Viper beats him up for calling her..him..IT, fat.

Skull immediately decides it wasn't worth it. He apologizes, but this is after he's already running from a hoard of bees.

6:15 P.M.

Skull jumps into a half frozen pond to escape the mass horde of bees that seem to have laser guiding targeting. His lips are already turning blue by the time he gets out.

6:20 P.M.

The places Skull is stung start to swell and turn purple.

6:43 P.M.

He ends up in the E.R. from bee sting poisoning and hypothermia.

The doctor gives him a weird look, a prescription for common sense, and some ointment for his trouble.

8:00 P.M.

Skull is finally released from the hospital with the advice to be more careful in the future.

8:02 P.M.

Skull is hit by a flying pink grenade.

8:03 P.M.

Skull is checked into the hospital for a second time.

9:30 P.M.

He somehow makes it home without any more injuries, so long as you don't count the toe he stubbed crossing the street. (Skull doesn't.)

9:41 P.M.

He cuddles with his armored octopus and shows off the new toys he bought the other day. Said octopus _glubglubs_ excitedly and attaches itself to his legs. Skull coos.

10:10 P.M.

The octopus attached to his legs has become a problem.

10:36 P.M.

Skull falls over due to lack of limb movement and blood circulation.

10:40 P.M.

He manages press all numbers on his speed dial, despite his vision clouding over.

The only one to answer is Colonello, who thought he was FedEx at first. Skull tells him that he's fallen and can't get up.

Colonnello tells him to consider Life Alert before hanging up.

11:00 P.M.

Fon breaks into his house with the excuse that Luce had called him to help. He mentions his sushi lunch and the octopus immediately let go.

11:01 P.M.

Fon leaves.

11:09 P.M.

Skull is still lying on the ground because he _still _can't feel his legs.

Darn it.

11:30 P.M.

With pins and needles in his legs, Skull finally thinks _Screw it_ and starts to crawl toward his bedroom.

It takes a while to get started.

11:59 P.M.

Still smelling like smoke, Skull collapses in bed, arm throbbing, face bruised, bee stings littering his body, second degree burns on his stomach, and an ache setting into his limbs.

Today was a good day.


	10. Year Round

**Summary: **"Tell me you love me." He can't help but feel he's heard this before.

**Quote: **I loved you when love was Spring, and May, Loved you when summer deepened into June, and now when autumn yellows all the leaves... - V. Sackville-Wes

**Recommended Song: **Drops of Jupiter by Train.

**Warning: Slight OOC,** but that can be brushed off by the AU. A little vague on the AU part, but all you need to know is that they're not mafia. Also, **slash**? If that's not your thing, I don't know how you made it this far.

**Notes: **Not-mafia-AU.

/

January is cold and the snow on the ground crunches loudly when he moves, leaving crisp footprints in the winter wonderland. Skull's icy breath swirls in the air when he laughs, twirling until he collapses in a fit of laughter. He leaves a large outline in the snow where he lands.

"You're so childish," Colonnello chastises. He wonders why it's _his _job to babysit the kid. "Get up already."

Skull wiggles a bit, rocking back and forth in his oversized coat until his laughter dies down to a few tiny giggles. He reaches his hands up to grab something, but the air is unobscured so he lets them fall back down.

"I can't." He says, and there's something about the way he says it that Colonnello immediately doesn't believe, but he slowly moves over to help anyway.

"Hurry up," Skull whines, voice raising a pitch. "It's _cold._"

"And whose fault is that?" Colonnello retorts. He sticks out his hand to help the younger one up.

Skull grasps it tightly, making sure he has a firm grip before pulling down with all his might. Colonnello could've probably stayed upright, but was too tired to care that he was falling. He lands on top of Skull, face pressed into the crook of his neck. Skull wiggles a bit.

"Mother nature's," He says and Colonnello has almost forgotten he had said anything. He snorts and rolls over, making his own imprint in the snow and gazes at the cloudy sky.

"It was supposed to be rhetorical." And he doesn't have to look to know Skull is sticking his tongue out at him. "Idiot," he scoffs.

"You know you love me," Skull shoots back and they've had this conversation a million times before.

_Yeah, _Colonnello thinks, _I really must._

/

White Day comes and goes and soon enough Colonnello finds that it's the end of March before he realizes it. The flowers have long since bloomed and he suffers through Skull's endless complains about the lack of snow. The pollen irritates his nose almost as much as having to trail after Skull and his search for adventure in everyday life.

At some point Colonnello suggests they go to Tokyo, just to get out, he says. He secretly just wants Skull to shut up, but there was no way he was saying that. The way the other boy's eyes light up makes him wish he had said it before, complaints or no.

They go one long weekend full of train rides with too many people and not enough room. Colonnello shuts his eyes for a moment and when he wakes up, Skull is drooling on his shoulder and they've missed their stop. So they ride the train back again and manage to get there before sundown anyway. They're both sore and hungry, but that doesn't stop them from hiking all the way to Tokyo Tower and standing at the very top when the moon hangs high in the sky.

It's amazing what you can see from almost a mile up in the air. The sky is clear for once and the stars shine like Skull's smile when he leans on the railing. They don't say much because words aren't needed.

"Thank you," Skull whispers and Colonnello is suddenly grateful for the lack of people around because he would deny that blush with his _life_, damn it.

He starts to say something when Skull turns and suddenly his breath is caught in his throat. The lights behind him give off some sort of _glow_ and Colonnello forgets what he starts to say in an instant.

"Something wrong?" Skull asks, frowning.

Colonnello just mumbles for him to enjoy the view while it lasts and the rest of the night is blur of colors and sushi.

/

They fight somewhere in the summer and he doesn't remember why. Everything is a rush of noise for days on end and Colonnello gets the feeling he doesn't want to remember what they (_he) _said. The days are colorless, leaving him to wonder if this is what life is like without Skull. He doesn't actually remember any time before the over-grown child.

The date doesn't hit him until he opens the door one evening after day 1-something of _Life Without Skull_ and finds a package poorly wrapped on his step. Even without a card, he can guess who it's from by the bright purple bow and ugly red wrapping paper. He unwraps it without much thought, wondering what Skull could've _possibly _given him and why, when he finds that it's a bandanna. The same bandanna he'd thought he lost weeks ago to the harsh wind of the forest. It must've taken Skull hours to find it due to wet land and overgrown bush.

The bandanna is wrapped around something itself, so he pulls at the strings gently until it unravels. A picture floats down, one from Tokyo Tower and Colonnello doesn't remember taking it. It had two people in the shot, but the one that really mattered had scribbled himself out with a black sharpie. The smell is fresh and it hits Colonnello's nose like poison. He flips the card over.

_Happy Birthday _is scribbled there in familiar handwriting. _I'm sorry _isn't, but Colonnello gets the message anyway and runs barefoot out of his house so fast he doesn't remember getting out the door.

He catches Skull halfway to his house, head turned down and soaked from the drizzling rain. Colonnello flies through puddles and is drenched himself by the time he manages to grab his best friend's shoulder and spin him around. Water drip-drops down the teen's face, and something about it makes the blonde think it's not rain, but he doesn't mention it. Instead he pulls the other closer, whispering apologizes over and over, running a hand through damp hair. They stay like that until one of them gets enough common sense to get out of the rain. They go back to Colonnello's house because its closer and Skull's stuff is already there anyway. The two of them shiver from the cold when they get inside and still are when they change clothes.

Colonnello grabs Skull's arms and falls back on the couch. He tugs on a blanket before he can complain. They flip through the channels, making stupid comments about crappy TV and trying to keep from falling asleep. At some point, Skull actually does leave the world of the conscious, but not before turning over on the way-too-small couch so he's facing his friend. Colonnello wraps his arms around the smaller one, forehead pressed against another's and thinks that this might be perfect, before he too is gone.

The next morning they both wake up with colds, but Colonnello doesn't really mind. And from the look on Skull's face, neither does he.

Colonnello puts on the bandanna that morning and doesn't take it off.

/

August is typhoon season and the air is sticky and hot. They have trouble leaving their homes because of all the wind and rain, so they grab their things when they can and spend days over each other's house. Colonnello's home never seems to have a pause in the weather and Skull's shakes in the rough wind, but they make best of it with microwaved smores and nasty hot chocolate, which is mostly water anyway.

Skull's birthday comes and goes and they celebrate with cake and a few beers. They're not technically of age, but who has to know? Skull's face is flushed before they even finish the six pack and it's a great effort not to fall down, so he runs into Colonnello instead.

"H-hey," Skull slurs. "You, you have nish hair, did you know that?"

Colonnello wraps one arm around Skull's shoulders and tugs him toward the bedroom.

"You're drunk," He says. "You only had two beers."

"Not dru-" Skull hiccups a bit midsentence and Colonnello can't help but laugh. They make it to the bed without breaking anything, but a lamp does fall when they walk by. He throws Skull onto the bed, even though he's not heavy, and Skull giggles to himself long after the bed stops bouncing.

"Go to sleep, " Colonnello says and he's already halfway out the door. Skull calls after him.

"Wh-where ya goin'?"

"To get some peace and quiet from the monster on my bed." Colonnello only means it as a joke, but then Skull bursts into tears and he thinks it might not have been a good idea.

"Whoah, hey, what's wrong?"

Skull sobs into a pillow and shakes his head while Colonnello rubs comforting circles on his back. He's not good at this, but Skull isn't himself so he thinks he won't mind.

"Y-y-you're gonna _leave me_," The last part comes out like a wail and the older blonde winces. Never bring alcohol again.

"I'm not going to leave you," Colonnello tells him. The sobs die down for a moment.

"Promise?" The voice sounds strained and a little raw, but Colonnello shakes off.

"I promise."

Skull brings his head out from the pillow, staring at his friend with red-rimmed eyes.

"You don't hate me?"

"Who told you that?" Colonnello says and thinks, _whoa, what's got you upset? _"I don't hate you. I've never hated you and I never will."

Skull shifts again so his face is hidden against the fabric.

"Really?" He asks, voice much quieter than before. He relaxes on the bed and stretches out his limbs.

"Really," Colonnello reassures him. "I don't hate you. I don't- it's just the opposite really. And I maybe, might…Do you….?" He flounders for a moment, wondering how to say this thinking that he might be a little tipsy too. Finally he just takes a deep breath.

"Skull, I-"

And then he realizes that the person in question has fallen asleep.

Colonnello lets his hand fall back to his side and wonders just exactly he thought he had been doing.

/

Nothing really happens between the end of August and November. The trees become bare, Colonnello starts wearing sweaters and forcing Skull to do the same, despite his protests. The rain finally stops, which is a blessing to all. They pile up their leaves and jump into the mounds they make. Colonnello acts responsible and Skull acts childish- same old, same old. Life is good.

But Christmas comes too soon and Colonnello is left wondering what to buy. Clothes seemed too impersonal and despite his young demeanor, Skull had long since outgrown toys. Music was always a nice choice, but when he goes to the store they've sold out of almost everything. Colonnello curses his luck and finally decides to make his _own _crappy gift instead of buying one. It's not like he could do any worse than what they had left at the mall.

So Colonnello breaks out all the decorative supplies he has, paper and markers, clothe from old bandanas and some other crap he doesn't remember buying. He sits straight, stares at the items, and thinks _I have no idea what to make from this trash._

An idea does stick in his mind. A stupid, _girly_ idea, but it's his and he has no other options. He swallows his pride and buys sewing needles and stuffing. He works whenever he Skull gives him a moment to himself, but life is busy and the date grows faster than he wants it to.

Christmas Eve comes sooner than expected and he's almost finished, but he runs out of thread a few stitches too short. So then he has to runs over to the only open store in town twenty minutes before he's supposed to meet Skull to exchange gifts. He takes three steps in before it feels like something stabs him right in the stomach and he passes out.

And that's the story of how Colonnello ends up in the hospital on Christmas Eve with appendicitis.

When he wakes up, Colonnello finds a red eyed Skull asleep on his hospital bed and a major pain in his side. He tries to shift without waking up the other, but Skull is up in a flash.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt? Areyouinanypain?" It comes out in a rush and Colonnello blinks a few times before answering.

"I'm fine," he says. "Where am I?"

"The hospital." Skull lets out a laugh that sounds just a bit hysterical. "Only you could walk around with appendicitis and ignore it until your appendix _literally_ explodes."

"Who cares about my appendix? I don't even what it does anyway." Colonnello is not usually the one to make light of a situation, but he feels like the roles needed to be switched today.

"_I _care about your appendix, dumbass!" Skull is practically foaming at the mouth. "What were you even doing at that store anyway?"

"I was buying thread for…" Colonnello trails off, face flushing with the meaning of his words sinks in. "Oh, no. What day is today?"

"December 26."

Colonnello groaned loudly, running a hand through his hair. He had missed Christmas! Thing just couldn't get any worse.

"Skull, I'm _so _sorry I missed Christmas. I-"

"You know what, you _should _be sorry," Skull said, hold up one hand to cut Colonnello off. "I sat on that park bench for an _hour, _wondering where you were before I finally got a call from the _hospital _telling me you were having _**surgery**_and they wouldn't tell me what for. And _then _I have to sit in a crappy, plastic chair, _**worrying my head off**_ for four hours before they finally let me see you and you weren't even _awake!_ So then I sit in a slightly different chair for _**even longer**_, hoping you aren't going to die because no one_** still won't tell me anything **_and eventually cry myself to sleep. And now here you are, having the **gall** to _**apologize **_to me because _**you missed Christmas!**_"

Skull finished up his rant so loudly it was a wonder a nurse didn't come in and kick him out on the spot. He breathed, harshly for a moment, staring at Colonnello expectantly.

"Well?" He asked.

"Um, I'm sorry?" Colonnello managed. Skull's eyes water and he throws himself onto his friend, wrapping his arms around his neck, and sobbing.

"I th-th-thought you were going to _die_!" He wails, wrapping his arms tighter around Colonnello's neck. The blonde ran a hand through Skull's hair.

"I'm fine, see? I'm sorry I worried you." He said. "Shh."

Skull pulls back, rubbing his face with his sleeve almost violently. He mumbles something Colonnello didn't quite catch and reaches underneath the bed, pulling out a bag.

"What's that?" Colonnello asks.

"You're present," Skull answers and Colonnello feels guilty all over again. He takes the bag gently, pulling off the paper slowly.

It's a scarf, one obviously handmade. The stitches are a bit tight in some places and farther apart in other and it's not the best job he's ever seen, but it's green and soft and _warm _and Colonnello feels ashamed.

"Thank you," he says and puts in on even though the room isn't that cold.

Skull smiles.

* * *

Colonnello gets discharged right before New Years.

He has a little trouble walking, but the pain medication and Skull's help does wonders. Somehow, he manages to finish his own gift without Skull's knowledge and plans on using it as a New Years gift, which is an okay plan in his mind.

They celebrate with homemade fireworks just for the heck of it. They drive to the outskirts of town in a badly beaten pickup truck overflowing with food and explosive material. The firecrackers ring in their ears, burning the asphalt it lands on. Sparks light up the sky in different shapes and colors. Red. Blue. Orange. Green. Pink. Purple.

One firework is larger than the rest. It lights up the sky in a volcanic eruption of gold and silver. Skull and Colonnello laugh until their throats are sore and their faces feel like splitting in two. The embers take forever to die in the midnight sky, not completely gone when the next batch fall.

"I have a present for you," Colonnello says before they light the last explosion. Skull cocks his head instead of asking anything. His eyes glow in the dark and his grin is akin to the Cheshire Cat's, which only serves to make Colonnello feel more awkward.

The older one of the two pulls out the bag and hands it over. It isn't big or decorated, but the bag isn't what's being given, so it didn't really matter, Colonnello thinks.

Skull takes it with a smile anyway, gleefully reaching into the package. The paper falls from his hands when he pulls out his gift.

Obvious stitches of thread lined the sides, awkward and dark against the light material. Two buttons sat in the middle of the doll's face, one just a little lower than the other. The rest of the doll's face was drawn on, which suddenly Colonnello was all too aware of. Would it really have taken that long to put the face on manually?

But Skull doesn't say anything, just grins that stupid grin of his and throws his arms around Colonnello's neck. Someone, they're not sure who, trips and they roll on the ground but neither of them lets go. Colonnello winces from the pain in his sore stomach and Skull's lips brush against his own, so it doesn't really matter.

Tears start dripping from his face and could he be more of a girl? Colonnello hastily wipes the water away, but it's too late, the damage is done and Skull presses his face into the crook of his neck, squishing the mini-Colonnello between them.

"Get off," Colonnello somehow is able to say. "You're heavy."

Skull shifts a little, just enough to get his jacket to ride up a bit, and smiles into Colonnello's shoulder.

"Can't." He says. "Too heavy."

"And whose fault is that?"

"You're mom's."

Skull (finally) rolls off of him and Colonnello has a sudden feeling of de ja vu hit him like a brick. Or an appendix exploding.

He opens his mouth to say something, but like so many times before he's cut off. A pair of lips meets his own and it's not at all like he imagined, it's so much better than that. Definitely a lot sloppier, but good nonetheless and he'd take this over his imagination any day.

"I love you," One of them whispers and it really doesn't matter which any more because they both feel the same (always have) and the moment is perfect and things are going to be just fine.

The last rocket remains unlit.


End file.
